We already know that Willie's children are incredibly talented (who remembers Wille singing at home with his sons, or Willie and his daughter, Paula, singing "Have You Ever Seen The Rain"?!). But now we've discovered another talented Nelson that we can add to the list - Willie's beautiful and talented granddaughter, Raelyn Nelson!

Although Raelyn has a famous last name, she has made it clear she wants to pave her own musical path! In an interview with Rolling Stone, Raelyn admitted, "At first, I was nervous to say I was Willie's granddaughter. I'm very proud of him, but I didn't want to be compared to him because I'm not a great player. But when I sent him our music he was ecstatic, saying, 'Let's get it out there!' Before I do anything, I text him â€” and he'll send me a big smiley face. He's so supportive."

Her Papa Willie must be very proud! Raelyn has made a name for herself as singer-songwriter, and has an awesome country-rock band called The Raelyn Nelson Band.

So when Raelyn hopped on the Farm Aid stage in 2014, we couldn't wait to see what she had in store for us! She called her Aunt Amy to join her, and the two sang an unbelievable rendition of The Raelyn Nelson Band's "Moon Song". And to make it even better, the album version of the song features a guest appearance by her Papa Willie!

We can't get enough of all these talented Nelsons!

Check out the video, and we're sure y'all will be as dazzled as we were!

"I can't breathe but I'm still smoking, I'm so high but I keep toking" is a hell of a way to start a song, but would you expect anything less from the cow punk revivalist granddaughter of Willie Nelson, Raelyn Nelson and her Sonic Youth-loving, flannel-shirt-sporting band? Their new single, "Brother," is a high-energy threat to a philandering lover, that combines a quick-stepping country boogie with a wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am punk shred â€” all with Nelson in the center, strumming mischievously away on her ukulele. [Read More...]

Watch Raelyn Nelson Band's Caffeinated, Country-Punk 'Brother' Video

"I can't breathe but I'm still smoking, I'm so high but I keep toking" is a hell of a way to start a song, but would you expect anything less from the cow punk revivalist granddaughter of Willie Nelson, Raelyn Nelson and her Sonic Youth-loving, flannel-shirt-sporting band? Their new single, "Brother," is a high-energy threat to a philandering lover, that combines a quick-stepping country boogie with a wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am punk shred — all with Nelson in the center, strumming mischievously away on her ukulele.

"The song came about when I was watching a TV show and got inspired by the storyline of a girl getting her three older brothers to track down her unfaithful boyfriend," Nelson tells Rolling Stone Country. And for the video, she and her band went super DIY, shooting it all with one GoPro camera. "[Guitarist Jonathan Bright] and I got together and wrote it, and we were trying to come up with a video concept that we could do on our own. The 'band side' was done with a tripod, some cheap workshop lights and a clear shower curtain as a light diffuser. The other side was just Jonathan running around with the GoPro strapped to his head. Then with some tips from friends, YouTube tutorials, and editing software we managed to pull it off. And we came in right on budget — which was zero!"

That scrappy nature is nicely reflective of Raelyn Nelson Band's overall mantra – which is to not really care if things look perfect or fit into current country convention. "It's not that we're against the Nashville music scene, it just seems like there is no place for us right now," says Nelson, who spends more time playing local rock clubs than honky-tonks — probably because their sound has much more in common with Social Distortion or LA punk outfit OFF! than, say, current chart-toppers Zac Brown Band or Darius Rucker. "Our music doesn’t fit into any playlist. The collaboration of old country and dirty garage rock is original in itself and kind of cool." Indeed, feedback, head-banging and fiery shouts of "one, two, three" aren't the most familiar sounds in the new incarnation of "Papa Willie's" genre, but they sure are welcome.

When it comes to releasing new music, Raelyn Nelson Band don't plan on doing that conventionally, either. "I think we've decided this year to skip the traditional 'CD release' and just release a single every month or so, with a video and new T-shirt to go along with it," Nelson says. "We have the songs, but it makes more sense to us to release them as singles and have something new to offer each month, instead of beating a record to death for a year."

And the Red Headed Stranger approves. "Before I do anything I text him," she says of her famous grandfather, whose famous Fourth of July Picnic she'll be playing this summer. "And he'll send me a big smiley face."

"I think there are plenty of guys in today's country music that are creating the same sound, and I'm a country girl with an actual rock band so I don't see how the sound doesn't fit in," she adds. "And I'm having a blast rocking out with those guys. I get to sing my country tunes louder."

Why You Should Pay Attention: Willie Nelson's granddaughter isn't afraid to make her family blush. With lyrics like "we should getta room/before we get ARRESTED," she and her band of garage-rock converts push out tracks that are a country-rock clash of three power chords and the truth. Raised on devotionals and "Papa's" classics, Nelson changed her tune when she met Jonathan Bright, a veteran of the underground scene. Paired with Nelson's cheeky twang that can hit on both Loretta and Liz Phair, the result is a quirky continuation of the California cowpunk tradition.

After opening comments by Willie Nelson and a reading of the Lord's Prayer, the day began with brief set by the country legend's granddaughter Raelyn Nelson, who instantly won over the crowd with her countrified take on Joan Jett's "Bad Reputation."

It's been 29 years since Bob Dylan's offhanded comments about the plight of the American farmer at Live Aid sparked the inaugural Farm Aid concert, and in that time other music-based charity efforts like Self Aid, NetAid, Band Aid, Hear 'n Aid, Hands Across America, Live 8 and Live Earth have faded into the distant corners of our memory banks. Meanwhile, Farm Aid CONTINUES to grow and prosper, holding massive all-star shows every year and raising millions and millions for struggling family farms.

This year's event was held at the Walnut Creek Ampitheater in Raleigh, North Carolina. It was a 10-hour concert (some of which was broadcast online) featuring performances by Farm Aid board members Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews in addition to Jack White, Gary Clark Jr, Jamey Johnson, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Delta Rae, Todd Snider and many others. Weather forecasters predicted heavy thunderstorms throughout the day, but it stayed remarkably dry with the exception of a brief downpour during Johnson's set. Here's a breakdown of the 10 best moments from the show.

Willie's Family Brings Back The 1980sAfter opening comments by Willie Nelson and a reading of the Lord's Prayer, the day began with brief set by the country legend's granddaughter Raelyn Nelson, who instantly won over the crowd with her countrified take on Joan Jett's "Bad Reputation." A few hours later, Willie's son Lukas and his group Promise of the Real broke out an amazing, jammed-out cover of Paul Simon's "Diamonds on the Soles of Her SHOES." It's a tough song to cover, but the guitar wiz and his band managed to completely make it their own.

Jack White Breaks Out White Stripes SetJack White had by far the most elaborate set, with his uniformed road crew setting up a meticulous set including vintage TV, before he took the stage, kicking into the manic riff of "Icky Thump." The energy never faltered, White frequently ordering band members to switch instruments and stand in certain places while and road crew members ran on and off handing off equipment. White sported an "undercut," his new hair style that looks like a cross between Skrillex and Elvis, which he routinely combed back in the mirror onstage. Seven of his 10 songs were White Stripes – including their first album stomper "Cannon" and a fiery "Ball and Biscuit." White noted he lives on the same street where his hero Hank Williams Sr. once lived, and played "You Know That I Know," which he wrote drawing from lost Williams lyrics. He finished off with "Seven Nation Army," at one point singing over nothing but the audience's chant. It was a blast, even if it did feel like a very condensed version of the other festival sets he's played this year, from Bonnaroo to Governor’s Ball.

Neil Young Digs DeepWhen Neil Young began his solo acoustic set with "Heart of Gold," it seemed like he was going to treat the capacity crowd to his greatest hits, but he quickly veered off course and delighted the hardcores with a gorgeous, delicate rendition of "Pocahontas" from Rust Never Sleeps, the 2001 super obscurity "Standing in the Light of Love" and his brand new protest anthem "Who's Gonna Stand Up and Save the Earth." Willie Nelson's longtime harmonica player Mickey Raphael accompanied him on "Mother Earth," which Young played on the organ. He's played the environmental plea at countless Farm Aid's in the past, but its rarely sounded this chilling. In typical Young fashion, there were pianos set up on both ends of the stage that he never touched. He likes to keep his options open.

Jamey Johnson Gets a Nod From NeilAfter an introduction that noted his long service in the U.S. marine corps, Jamey Johnson strapped on his beat-up Epiphone acoustic in a SUPPORT LOCAL FOOD T-shirt and, in his unmistakable gruff croon, kicked into his slow, spaced-out take of Hank Cochran's "I Fall to Pieces." "There was a time when all the farmer had to worry about was whether it would rain this year," Johnson said afterward, before "You Can't Cash My Checks." "Now they have to worry about THE LOAN they would get if it did rain." He invited his vocal coach, "vocal coach for the last 39 years, Howard Johnson (he also happens to be Jamey's father) for a moving "In Color," as Neil Young watched side stage with a backwards hat on, arms folded, nodding along. He wrapped with a loose, swaggering take on George Strait's "Give It Away." Johnson's quick set was a reminder of how much he's missed – it's been four years since his last album of original material. "Well, I wish I could tell you that I am writing. I'm not," he told RS last year. "I feel pretty used by the music industry, in that my contracts are written in such a way that I don't get paid."

Meet the Nelson Family"Now that's the best," Willie Nelson told RS recently while discussing what it's like to play music with his sons, Lukas and Micah. "They're just really good musicians." This year's Farm Aid often felt like a family reunion for the Nelson family, and proof of how varied the musical blood runs; Willie's granddaughter Raelyn Nelson began the day with a punky, high-energy set including a surprise cover of Loretta Lynn's "Van Lear Rose" (though it would have been cool of Jack White reprise his verses from the original recording). Micah Nelson soon took the stage with his psych-folk act Insects vs. Robots, leading epic time-shifting prog jams as guitarist Milo Gonzalez performed back-bending contortion moves. Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real later won over the crowd with a fuzzed-out blues blast; Lukas at one paid tribute to his dad with highly-charged "Bloody Mary Morning" before an epic guitar excursion that referenced his dad’s cover of Bob Wills' "Stay All Night (Stay a Little Longer)." "Lukas is a good songwriter, good singer picker, triple threat," says Willie. "He puts on a good show, and has a great band!"

Mellencamp Previews His Upcoming TourIn late January, John Mellencamp is kicking off a grueling 80-date North America tour to support his new LP Plain Spoken. Backed by his longtime touring band, Mellencamp previewed the trek by opening with a pair of new cuts: "Lawless Times" and "Troubled Man." Just when it seemed like he was losing the crowd with the unfamiliar tunes, he kicked off a string of eight consecutive 1980s hits with "Check It Out." A solo acoustic "Jack and Diane" had the entire place screaming along to every word, and the crowd cracked up when he modified the lyrics of "Small Town" to address his two DIVORCES since he wrote the song. Midway through, he blasted through a powerful rendition of "Rain on the Scarecrow" that summed up the Farm Aid cause better than any speech he could have possibly delivered.

Neil Gets Political, Names NamesMost performers briefly voiced their support for farmers at some point during the set, but Young was the only one to get intensely political and call out specific corporations and politicians by name. "We're up against a massive conspiracy," he said. "And a government controlled by corporations. Your senator, Senator [Richard] Burr is a big help in making sure that corporations control farming." The mention of Burr's name elicited a chorus of boos. "Take that booing to the voting booth next time you go," Young said. "The only way we're gonna change it is to go to the top and clean it up." He later turned his attention towards the benefit of organic food. "The corporations are forcing our farmers to use pesticides," he said. "They own a lot of the farmers' land. They're suppling seeds to the farmers from Monsanto, seeds that you have to use pesticides to get things out of."

Todd Snider Mocks the Right"He's already got Willie's buzzed look in his eyes," laughed one concertgoer as Snider took the stage, looking a little disheveled, like he might've just rolled out of bed. Snider charmed the crowd with a hilarious and moving solo acoustic set including "Can't Complain" and "Conservative Christian, Right-Wing Republican, Straight, White, American Males." "I'll be sharing my opinions not because they're right or they make sense," he told the crowd before scoring big laughs: "I'll be sharing them because they rhyme." Snider has become a cult favorite over his two-decade career – it was nice to see him win over an amphitheater crowd.

Dave Matthews UnplugsDave Matthews Band have been on the road all summer, but Farm Aid was one of only a handful of times Dave has done an acoustic gig with guitarist Tim Reynolds in the past few years. Matthews was the only performer on the bill that could effortlessly fill the 20,000 seat amphitheater on his own and he drew the loudest and craziest response of any of the acts. His set focused largely on his 1990s work, breaking out classics like "Don't Drink The Water," "Dancing Nancies" and "Crush" for the euphoric crowd. He was also in a particularly silly mood, addressing the issue of the evening in a significantly less serious way than his buddy Neil Young. "I gotta tell you," he said. "I love fresh tomatoes. I love fresh cucumbers. I like cheese. And I like fresh milk. I like coffee, and I like beer." With that, he went into "Ants Marching" and the place went absolutely ballistic.

Willie's Road Goes On ForeverWillie began the day singing the Lord's Prayer to kick off the event; about 10 hours later, he was the last to play – an impressive endurance test for anyone, let alone an 81-year-old in the middle of a grueling tour. The inclusive family vibe of the day continued in Willie's set; During "Whiskey River," Lukas added tasteful licks front-and-center with Micah behind him on percussion. Willie then invited Gary Clark Jr., who played a loose, raw set earlier in the day, took a SEARING solo on Stevie Ray Vaughan's "Texas Flood." He stayed on for the remainder of the set, taking cues on the fly from harmonica player Mickey Raphael; Willie was clearly impressed, grinning and nodding at Clark’s fiery licks during Tom T. Hall's "Shoeshine Man." Everyone, including Jamey Johnson and the Denise Alley Wisdom Dancers, who performed an Indian chant earlier in the day, headed out onstage for a bunch of sing-alongs including Willie's "gospel number," "Roll Me Up and Smoke Me (When I Die)."

"Over the past 29 years, hundreds of artists have stood with family farmers and electrified Farm Aid audiences," said Farm Aid Executive Director Carolyn Mugar. "Farm Aid is proud to welcome these talented performers to our stage for the first time."

Tickets for Farm Aid 2014 are available at www.livenation.com, the Walnut Creek Amphitheatre box office, all Ticketmaster outlets or by phone at 800-745-3000.There are a limited number of tickets available.

The all-day music and food festival offers concert-goers family farm-identified, local and organic foods with its own HOMEGROWN Concessions® and hands-on activities in Farm Aid's HOMEGROWN Village.

Farm Aid is partnering with eBay and Auction Cause to offer concertgoers a chance to bid on premier concert experiences and autographed memorabilia beginning this Thursday, Aug. 14. For more information, go to http://is.gd/farmaid. Farm Aid is also teaming up with IfOnly to offer unique VIP Packages as well as autographed Gibson guitars to benefit Farm Aid. For more information, go tohttp://www.ifonly.com/celebrity/farm-aid.

Concertgoers can enhance their Farm Aid experience with the official Farm Aid 2014 mobile app, which will be available soon for iPhone and Android.

Farm Aid's mission is to build a vibrant, family farm-centered system of agriculture in America. Farm Aid artists and board members Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews host an annual concert to raise funds to support Farm Aid's work with family farmers and to inspire people to choose family farm food. Since 1985, Farm Aid, with the support of the artists who contribute their performances each year, has raised more than $45 million to support programs that help farmers thrive, expand the reach of the Good Food Movement, take action to change the dominant system of industrial agriculture and promote food from family farms.

–30–

**Editors and Producers Note: Advance credentials are required for all media to attend Farm Aid 2014. Please visit www.farmaid.org/media by Thursday, Sept. 4, to apply. Media can download official Farm Aid photos and videos at www.farmaid.org/media.**

Raelyn Nelson Interview: Willie Nelson’s Granddaughter Forges Her Own Path for New EP

If you’re an aspiring country music artist, and your grandfather happens to be Willie Nelson, it might be easy to assume that you’ve got an easier road ahead of you. But that’s not necessarily the case.

Raelyn Nelson may have a famous last name, but she’s going through the same hard slog as every other singer-songwriter in Nashville. The Raelyn Nelson Band recently self-released their self-titled debut EP — which features a musical approach that’s been aptly described as “country garage rock” — and Nelson is making the rounds, knocking on doors, looking for gigs, fans and media support while working more than one job.

The EP marries Nelson’s more traditional country influences with the no-frills rock aesthetics of her band mates, producer/co-writer Jonathan Bright, Paulie Simmons and Preach Rutherford. It’s a long way from mainstream Music Row fare, but Nelson is doggedly determined to pursue her own path, not simply ride the coattails of her famous surname.

That said, one good thing about having Willie Nelson as your grandfather is, it probably makes it a little easier to score a guest appearance on your album. The country legend gives a vocal turn on ‘Moon Song,’ showing a very different side than his own albums would ever afford him the opportunity do to.

The Boot caught up with Raelyn Nelson recently to discuss the new album, her unusual mix of influences, the struggles and joys of being independent and much more in the following interview.

For more information about the Raelyn Nelson Band, visit their website. Preview their EP here, and download at from iTunes here.

How did this project come about?

A couple of years ago, I was writing some songs, and through a mutual friend I met J.B. — Jonathan Bright. I went over there just to put down some demos of what I was doing, and he said, “Do you want to write together?” And I said, “Yeah!” At that point I was just, I want to do whatever. I want to write, I want to play. Which I still am.

He said okay, so we started getting together and basically finishing the songs that I had started. Then we started writing songs from scratch together, and it kind of molded into what is now the Realyn Nelson Band, which is, he’s a lot of rock, and my vision comes from old country. So it’s kind of like those old country melodies, mixed with some dirty rockers backing me up, and me banging on a ukelele, trying to be heard over them. [Laughs].

The ukelele is an unusual choice. Is that your primary instrument?

Well, it’s funny, my grandpa gave me a guitar when I was 14. He gave me a Martin acoustic, and I started taking lessons and learned how to play. I played acoustic guitar all the way up until two years ago. J.B. had a ukelele project going at the time, and they were doing a Replacements covers album, all on ukelele, and so he was really into the ukelele, and he had a couple of them lying around. I picked it up, and he taught me the chords, and for some reason it just, I feel more comfortable playing the ukelele. I know I’ve only been playing it two years, but I would much rather pick up a ukelele and play that in front of people than pick up the guitar, even though I’ve been playing the guitar longer.

I still play guitar. When I go to write a song, I’ll pick up a guitar to hear the notes, but with the band I’d rather play the ukelele.

"I would call it a mix between Loretta Lynn and Cheap Trick. Kinda like Cheap Trick with a female singer. There’s a little bit of pop in it, and a lot of rock, and I’m the country in the band."

How would you describe the sound of your band? Your website calls it “country garage rock.”

Some critic called it that, and we liked it, so we went with it. I would call it a mix between Loretta Lynn and Cheap Trick. Kinda like Cheap Trick with a female singer. There’s a little bit of pop in it, and a lot of rock, and I’m the country in the band. My voice is definitely more of a country-sounding voice than a rocker. But I hope to be a rocker one day. [Laughs]. The guys in the band, when I say, “I’m a rock star! I’m a rocker!” They says, “No, you don’t rock.” [Laughs]. I’ll just pretend to rock with them.

It’s hard to even put it in a genre. Country rock? But when you think of country rock you think of Eric Church nowadays. Not that he’s not great, but it’s not really Eric Church-y, either.

Who are some of your vocal influences?

I love Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton, and I like all the pop girls, too. I like Lady Gaga, and I like Pink. I listen to all those girls. But I’m really inspired by simple stuff like Loretta and Dolly, and the pure sound of them. Kitty Wells, I love her old stuff. The Carter Family.

Bluegrass feeds my soul. I was able to be around a lot of bluegrass festivals, and I was very inspired by that bluegrass sound. Of course, I can’t make that sound — I’m not as good a player as those guys. But I definitely lean toward that old country sound when I want to hear music, and when I write music. I lean toward simple melodies and simple chord changes. There’s not a whole lot of chord changes in my original songs. Now, when I get with J.B., he’s very rock and a lot of pop, and he throws in all these chords.

I’ve learned so much from him. Thank God I met him, because I’ve learned so much from him, my musical education has increased so much in the last few years. I’m a better player — and I’m not even a player. I wouldn’t even classify myself as a player. That’s one of the first things he said to me, actually. When I categorized myself as a player, he said, “You’re not a player.” [Laughs]. He definitely puts me in my place, all of the time.

When you live in Nashville — you live here, too — there’s so many great, amazing players. I’ll tell you what, I am definitely in awe of all these great singers who can sing without playing an instrument, because I don’t know what to do with my hands. So I’d rather be playing my simple chord changes on the ukelele and banging it out, than trying to figure out what to do with my hands while I’m singing.

Your music isn’t the kind of music that would lend itself to a big Carrie Underwood-type production, where you’d be doing the sort of dramatic delivery that she does.

Right. And in my family, everybody’s played. It’s one of those things – when you sing, you play. [Laughs]. So that’s what we do. But a lot of my friends in town sing and don’t play, and they’re great. They have that arm thing down, and it’s great, but I just don’t have it.

Did you try to go the more traditional label route and publisher route before you decided to go independent?

I didn’t. I just kinda wanted to do my own thing. I’ve been told what Nashville does. Nashville kinda just … I knew if I went in somewhere and said, “Make me a star,” that it probably could have been done, but I didn’t want to go in and sing other people’s songs. Not that I’m opposed to singing other people’s songs, or writing with other people. I just wanted to sing the songs that I was writing, and I wanted to do it on my own. Being independent, I get more of a sense of satisfaction that, everything we’re doing is what we’ve done. I mean, we’ve had help along the way from friends, but no labels have even come after us or anything. We’re just so different from what Nashville’s putting out right now.

And I knew I was different from what Nashville’s doing. I’m not Carrie Underwood, and I don’t want to be Carrie Underwood. I think she’s amazing, but I’d just rather be me, and write the songs that come to me, and sing with … a lot of people say that it’s a channel you hit when you’re writing songs, and it comes to you from the world beyond.

In my brain, what I feel and what I believe is that it’s God — or our angels, or spirit guides, or however you want to say it — the Being, the Great Creator who allows us to be creative and gives us the things that are supposed to be written, and they’re supposed to be sung this way and written this way. And so, Carrie Underwood has her own thing going, and it’s beautiful and amazing, and I still — I think I listened to ‘Before He Cheats’ yesterday three times in a row. I think that’s great. I’m all about girl power, and I think it’s important to be yourself, too. Be original, be yourself and do what you do.

"I knew if I went in somewhere and said, ‘Make me a star,’ that it probably could have been done, but I didn’t want to go in and sing other people’s songs. "

Do you find that your last name and your family association is a bigger help, or does it create an unrealistic set of expectations for you?

At first I was so nervous to have people say, “Willie Nelson’s granddaughter.” But I’m more proud of him than I am embarrassed of my playing. So I feel like — he’s heard my stuff, and he loves it. He’s proud of it, which makes me on Cloud Nine, extremely happy. And now I especially don’t get embarrassed by it, since he’s supportive about it, and wants to push it.

With the name, you know they’re gonna listen to it. It doesn’t mean they’re gonna like it. There’s lots of music that people don’t like. If you like it or you don’t like it, whatever. But the name just ensures that people are gonna listen to it, and we can only hope that they like it.

When you meet people and they find out that family association, does that come along with an assumption on their part that you have an easier life than you do?

Yeah, I think maybe sometimes so. My grandpa is really, really cool, and I’m able to work for him. I check the fan emails for him, and my cousin runs the website, and my aunt runs the fan club. So it’s a family business, basically. We’re all involved. So, since I was able to do that, I was able to stay home with my kids and not have to work outside the house.

Now that I’m doing my music project and I need extra money for this stuff, I do have two extra jobs. I’m a bartender at a place right beside the Exit/In in Nashville, it’s like a craft beer bar, and then I deliver sandwiches during the day. I do all this to make extra money to afford my band and this music project that I believe in. So I’m definitely down in Nashville, and they’re seeing me down in Midtown delivering sandwiches on Music Row. They know me, and it’s all good. You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.

Our plan is to get out on the road this fall and try to go to places in the Southeast, and be able to come home. Drive to Georgia, drive to Florida, drive to Kentucky and Alabama and come back home. Not spend too much money on the road, but just try to make some extra cash with those gigs, right around our home town.

We’ve been tossing around the idea of putting out singles, like the old style of A-side and B-side, just putting out two singles every few months, and then touring around the Southeast with our new singles, promoting those. So we have things going. It’s a lot of work, but we’re seeing a lot of progression. And that’s all you can ask for.

That’s doing it old school, as opposed to having a big promotional machine.

It is doing it old school. I’ve been reading Waylon [Jennings]‘s autobiography, and the new Johnny Cash biography, and both of them talk about them riding around to radio stations, talking to the DJs and chumming up with them. So it kind of does remind me of this. And the journey’s fun. This life that you have of being creative and putting your art out there, and your heart out there on the line for everyone and try to win over the internet [Laughs], it’s a fun life to have. You can’t really complain. You have to be positive and keep going.

On your website you talk about how important it is to be in a band, instead of being a solo artist. Why is that so important to you?

With my guys, they have been in a band together for 25 years or something. So they can just read each others’ minds. And after the last two-and-a-half years of us playing together so much, they can read mine. That’s all that matters. I don’t need to read theirs. I can just look at them in freak out mode, and they know what to do. I think playing with the same people is really important to the vibe you get onstage when you’re playing. It’s how the audience connects with what’s happening up there.

I don’t want to down Nashville, but it seems like they put people with random musicians, and it’s not the same effect as people that are having a party together because they play together a lot. They get to a music level of performance that you don’t get when people who don’t know each other are playing. I just think it’s just a sync-up vibration, and the audience can feel that. It’s just a cool, family-like vibe that we all have, and I think that’s important.

Of course, my grandpa’s played with his band for over 30 years, so there’s a lot of — I don’t really understand how people can play with just random people.

Is there anything else you want to say before we wrap up today?

I want to tell people about the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, the SAFE Act, which is the Safeguard American Food Exports Act. If everyone contacts their senators and their congressmen and ask them to support the bill, we can get the bill passed that would protect all American horses from slaughter. I would like everyone to know that.

That’s right ladies and gentlemen, the Nelson clan can now field three generations of performers on the stage, and the new generation is about as defiant and ass kicking as you might expect. Rearing out of the gates comes the rambunctious and ribald Raelyn Nelson and the Raelyn Nelson Band: a full throttle country rock experience, just as much Loretta Lynn as it is The Ramones, with Willie’s little granddaughter out there in skimpy miniskirts and a flirty midriff while making one hell of a racket and breaking hearts.

As you can imagine, Raelyn was raised with country music poured right into her bottle, and along with her obvious influences, (including one that goes by the name of “Willie”), she’s a huge Loretta Lynn fan, and will put her dukes up to anyone who has anything cross to say about the country queen. But when it came to putting out her debut EP, the music took a different direction, with more of a rock and punk attitude as can be inferred heavily by the block letters, and even Raelyn’s exposed midriff that mimics almost exactly the cover of The Ramones’ 1976 debut cover.

Raelyn has been playing in Nashville and performing for a while now mostly in the vein of her family tradition. But when she partnered up with underground rock producer Jonathan Bright to try something a little different, what they came up with is self-referred to as “Country/Garage Rock”. Wild-eyed with a lot of girl power and melodic sensibility, The Raelyn Nelson Band EP may not exactly wow the traditional country crowd, but it certainly gets your attention and has you singing along, even if it’s filed as a guilty pleasure.

The lead off track to the EP “Do You” and the later track “Careless” finds Raelyn waxing unapologetically self-destructive yet ultimately resilient in a similar vein to Lydia Loveless. “Moon Song” takes a lighter approach, with Raelyn appropriating the ukelele like her aunt Amy Nelson of Folk Uke, and dueting with her famous grandfather himself in a song that is simple and sappy, but still refers to the family’s natural inclination to songcraft. “He’s All Mine” is where Raelyn exposes her country roots and love for Loretta in a track that is twangy without interrupting the winning streak of infectious groove and melody this EP sports. The final song “Getta Room” about inappropriately mugging down in a booth may be a little bit too long, but exhumes the early 80′s punk rock approach of girls with the guts to tell it all.

With this EP, Raelyn isn’t looking to make your eyes water, but for what it is, it shows a lot of promise from the young Nelson as a singer, front person, and songwriter. And as she likes to point out, “I don’t really have any desire to be a ‘solo-artist’. Everyone in my family who plays music has always placed a lot of importance on band chemistry, on stage, off stage and in the studio. Our band can almost read each other’s minds. Why would I mess with that?”

Reading Raelyn’s mind along with Jonathan Bright are Paulie Simmons and Preach Rutherford from the band Defense Wins Championships.

Raelyn is the daughter of Willie’s son Billy Nelson from Willie’s very first marriage. In a somewhat strange circumstance, Raelyn is actually slightly older than her uncle, fellow country rock performer Lukas Nelson. But no matter, Lukas Nelson, Raelyn’s aunt Amy Nelson from Folk Uke, and everyone else from the Nelson clan has welcomed Raelyn into the performing family. “I’ve been told by more than one person in the ‘biz’ that I’m stubborn like my grandpa. I kind of like that.”

There’s a lot still to be determined about where Raelyn’s musical nose will point, and if she can make music a full-time, non-stop endeavor. This certainly should be approached as a rock album first with a little bit of country mixed in, but classifications aside, Raelyn Nelson shows a lot of spunk on this very enjoyable EP.

1 1/2 of 2 guns up.

Latest Tweets

Dec 9, 2016

Trump will get exec producer credit on "Celebrity Apprentice." He'll keep picking up paychecks for a reality show while POTUS. Come again?

Dec 8, 2016

"Hey Mama, What did Santa say to the elf when he asked him if he could be Santa this year?" "What?" "No No No Merry Christmas" #Genius

Dec 8, 2016

"Hey mama, there's a broken maraca in the bathtub!" #ThursdayMorningWakeUp